1) Heat oil in a soup pot or dutch oven. Add onion garlic, ginger,
and
salt and saute' over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the
onion
begins to soften.

2) Add the spices and saute' another 5 minutes over medium heat.

3) Add the apples, water, cinnamon sticks, and lemon juice and
bring to a boil. Then turn the heat down, mostly cover and simmer
for
about 10 minutes or until the apples are very tender. Remove from
heat.

4) Take out the cinnamon sticks and puree' in a blender or food
processor--bit by bit, so as not to splash yourself. Return the
puree'
to the pot

5) Add optional sweeting, and taste to adjust salt. Serve hot or
cold,
with our without some or all of the toppings.

I usually use a bit of coconut, either raw or toasted, and chopped
almonds. This soup is really terrific with a peanut butter
sandwich!

Melt 1-2 T. of the butter in a heavy skillet.
Sprinkle chicken with
pepper and brown a couple at a time over medium-high
heat for about 2
1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to a large
casserole dish.
Reduce heat to medium and add apples and celery to
the pan. Cook
and stir until golden - about 5 minutes. Spread over
the chicken.
Melt the remaining butter in the pan an dadd
cabbage, carrots and
onion. Stir and cook until tender-crisp, about
5-7 minutes.
Stir in the apple juice and vinegar, plus sugar and
seeds if
desired. Spread over the apples and
chicken. Bake at
350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Peel carrots and grate. Place carrots in a
sauce pan, cover with
water and bring to a boil. Drain, mashing
excess water from
carrot mush. Grate the apples. Melt butter in
sauce pan, add
ginger and saute, stirring constantly. When
the ginger is
fragrant but not browned, add apples and cook about
2 minutes,
stirring. Add the drained carrots and stir
toether until warmed
through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
(Red apples are
recommended, but we found it nice with just about
any kind)

Dice apples. In a large bowl, sprinkle apples with
the 1 T. lemon
juice. Add chopped celery, grapes, nuts and
raisins. For
the dressing, ina small bowl combine the mayonnaise,
sweetener and 1/2
t. lemon juice. Whip cream just until soft peaks
form. Fold cream
into mayonnaise mixture and spoon over apple
mixture. Sprinkle
lightly with nutmeg. Cover and chill. Just
before serving,
fold the dressing into the fruit.

Whisk together flour, eggs, sweetener, vanilla, cream
and water.
Stir thinly sliced apples into mixture. In a heavy
skillet
(nonstick is best) melt enough butter to coat the
pan. Pour
batter into skillet and cook pancake over medium heat
until it begins
to set. Lift the edges to allow uncooked batter to run
underneath, like
you would with an omelette. Preheat your
broiler. When the
pancake begins to brown and is getting firm, place
entire skillet under
the broiler until the top puffs and browns.
Sprinkle with vanilla
powder or sugar, cut into wedges and serve.
(Remember not
to use a skillet that has a wooden handle, btw!)

Line a 9 inch pie plate with pastry and flute edges
In a large bowl combine next eight ingredients
spoon into pastry shell
In another bowl combine topping ingredients, until it
looks like
breadcrumbs
Sprinkle on top of apple mixture
Bake at 375° for 45 - 50 minutes or until filling is
bubbly and
apples tender
Cool on a wire rack.

Beat butter, on medium speed, until light
colored. Add sugar, beat
until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time,
mixing well after
each. Stir in vanilla. Add flour, 1/2 at a time,
mixing well after each
addition. Stir in chopped apples and pecan
pieces. Pour into greased,
floured 13 x 9 pan. Combine sugar, cinnamon and
mace. Sprinkle over
batter.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick
inserted in the middle
comes out clean.

We
used to
have an old orchard up at the back of our place, the
trees
had been planted in the early 1900's and went on
bearing apples until
about three years ago. One variety was called Winter
Banana, a pretty
pale yellow apple with a blush of pink. It wasn't
much good to eat out
of hand, and made only mediocre pies, but it made
the BEST juice. I had
an apple press and used to put up dozens and dozens
of quarts of juice.

We had to cut down
what was left of
the orchard about three years
ago, the trees were falling and breaking. And,
sadly, what fruit there
was usually fell on the ground as I no longer do all
that canning and
juicing. We would tell people they could help
themselves, but it seems
they thought we'd pick the apples for them!!! I miss
the orchard, but
now that part of the pasture is easier for the hay
mower to navigate.

One fun thing to do with an apple pie is to use a
pizza pan. Roll
out your pastry to fit a pizza pan, then fill it with
VERY thinly
sliced apples. You can make a pattern with the slices
if you want, but
it's not necessary.
Sweeten the pie with sugar and a bit of cinnamon.
Put your favourite crumb topping on, and bake. Presto,
Apple Pizza.
The original instructions called for you to then put
Caramel syrup on
it, but I think that's a bit over the top. Kids like
it, cuz kids like
pizza!

Cream applesauce (oil) and sugar/ Mix in the rest of
the ingredients
& stir until it reaches cake batter consistency.
Bake in two large
loaf pans sprayed with pan spray for 1 hr at 350
degrees. Great
use for a fridge full of old apples, and the kids
liked it too.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and salt.
Add apples, toss to coat.
Line a 9 inch pie plate with pastry. Spoon apple
mixture into
crust.
Dot with butter and sprinkle with orange juice.
Top with pie crust.
Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until crust is golden
brown.
In a small bowl, whisk glaze ingredients together.
Spread over top of
pie.

Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Make a
well in
the center, add the beaten egg and 1/4 cup warm water, and
mix with
your hands to a smooth dough. With the bowl tipped to one
side, and
with open fingers, beat the dough, rotating your wrist. The
dough is
ready when it pulls away from the bowl and is difficult to
beat. Place
in a clean, lightly floured bowl, cover and leave in a warm
place for
15 minutes.

Melt half of the butter in a skillet. Slowly fry the bread
crumbs
until golden brown, then set aside to cool in a bowl. Mix
the sugar and
cinnamon in a small bowl. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Thoroughly flour one side of a large clean dish towel, place
the
pastry on top and, with your fingers, gently stretch the
dough to a
large rectangle about 24 x 20 inches; cover with another
dish towel and
set aside for 15 minutes. Melt the remaining butter and set
aside.

Peel, quarter, core and thinly slice the apples and combine
with
the bread crumbs, cinnamon mixture and raisins/pine nuts.
Brush the
dough liberally with the melted butter, then sprinkle the
apple mixture
all over the dough. Trim away the thick edge with a pair of
scissors.

Pick up the dish towel from the shorter side, and push away
and
down from you to lightly roll the strudel up like a jelly
roll. Tip the
strudel carefully onto a baking sheet, seam-side down or to
one side.
Leave the strudel straight, or curve it lightly into the
traditional
crescent. Brush the pastry with any remaining butter.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Cool,
slightly,
sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and serve warm with
vanilla custard,
ice cream or whipped cream served alongside.

Treat fruit to prevent darkening. Rinse and drain.
Combine all
ingredients in a large saucepot. Simmer until thick,
about 1 hour and
15 minutes, stirring frequently. Carefully ladle hot
chutney into hot
jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air
bubbles; wipe rim and
threads of jar with a clean damp cloth. Place lid on
jar with sealing
compound next to glass. Screw band down evenly and
firmly just until a
point of resistance is met – fingertip tight.

Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Yield: about 10 pints.

Note: When cutting or seeding hot peppers, wear
rubber gloves to
prevent hands from being burned.

Clean the mushrooms, take off the stems and chop them,
setting them aside.
Fry up the bacon in a skillet, drain on paper
towers. In the
drippings, saute the onion, pepper and chopped up
mushroom stems.
Drain, season with salt and pepper.
Soften the cream cheeese and blend it in with the
bacon and
vegetables. Press this mixture into the mushroom
caps, making
little mounds. Put bread crumbs in a small bowl
and gently press
each mushroom-top into the crumbs to coat them.
Put them all in a
9 x 13 x 2" casserole dish. Add the 1/4 c. hot
water to the pan
and bake it, uncovered, about 20-25 minutes at 325
degrees. Makes
about 2 dozen stuffed mushrooms.

-
Tom Bombadill-o

Where I work we
have a small grill/cafeteria and every day they have a
different soup.
The past couple of weeks they've started having one I
hadn't seen
before ... ... ... Wild Mushroom Bisque ... ... ... so
I tried it
(hobbit that I am), and it was delicious!

So, wanting to make it
at home, I
started searching for a recipe that I
thought was close to it ... ... multiple types of
mushrooms, a few
veggies, a rich beefy broth with a touch of cream ...
... ... and,
after a little research and experimentation, I have
it. And I thought
I'd share it with all my friends here. Enjoy!

Brandybuck's Wild
Mushroom Bisque (The Old Forest had to
be a wonderous
place to find mushrooms and I'd bet the Brandybucks
took full
advantage!)

Melt butter and olive oil in heavy large saucepan over
medium high
heat. Add celery, garlic and onion and sauté until
tender, about
5
minutes. Add all mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms
are tender
and
most liquid cooks out, about 10-15 minutes. Add Sherry
and cook until
almost all liquid evaporates. Add reserved soaking
liquid, beef and
chicken broths, dried thyme and pepper. Simmer soup 30
minutes to blend
flavors. Add half-and-half and stir until heated
through. Season to
taste with salt. Mix cornstarch and water together.
Pour cornstarch
mixture slowly into soup, stirring constantly, until
slightly thickened.

Put potatoes in a large pot of water and boil.
Cook until soft,
about 20 minutes. In the meantime, cook the bacon
slices in a
large skillet until crisp. Take them out to drain
on paper
towers. In the drippings, cook the mushrooms and
onion until
onion is soft and translucent - add a touch of vegetable
oil if
needed. When the potatoes are done, drain them and
put them in a
large bowl. Mash in the butter and dressing, keep
mashing until
they are smooth. Stir in the mushrooms, onions and
crumbled
bacon.

- Primula

Merry’s
Mushrooms

“They’re mine! Mrs. Maggot gave them to me- A Queen
among farmers’
wives!” -Frodo, Fellowship of the Ring.

In a medium pot or a deep pan, saute the onions and
garlic in the oil
until the onions are soft. Add the mushrooms and thyme
and cook for two
more
minutes.
Add 1 1/2 c. water and simmer uncovered for 15 min. Mix
the arrowroot
with the remaining 1/2 c. of water, and add to pot. Cook
until
thickened,
approx. one minute. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately
to
hungry Hobbits (Or eat them all yourself :) )

~ Fill up a pan with cut mushrooms (portabella if you
have them).
~ Add a 1/2 stick of butter.
~ Enough cooking wine (your choice) to cover the
bottom of the pan.
~ Add pepper generously with a grinder.
~ Several shakes of nutmeg.
~ Add Worchestershire Sauce till everything turns
black.
~ Cover and cook on medium. Cook
them to death.
Use your staff if you have to.
~ Reduce heat to warm when mushrooms have absorbed
most of the liquid
in the pan.
~ For the best taste, leave in pan and serve.

Sprinkle gelatin and onion flakes over 1/4 cup of the
water in a
saucepan. Stir in and hear over low hear until
gelatin dissolves
(about 3 minutes). Stir in remaining 2 cups of water,
vinegar, salt and
sugar. Remove from heat and stir until all is
dissolved. Chill
until it mounds slightly when dropped from a
spoon. Add
vegetables and mix, pour into a large flat pan that has
been rinsed
with cold water. Adapts well to artificial
sweeteners.

- Blob

Summer Mushrooms
Vinergarette

For those lazy
summer days when a hot
mushroom side-dish just doesn't appeal, but
mushrooms still do, try
serving this with a salad.

Note: the material posted here is for the
personal
use of members of the Fellowship of
Middle-earth community and may
not be used for commercial
or other unauthorized use, by
publication, re-transmission, distribution, or otherwise,
except as
permitted
by the Copyright Act or other law.
Questions/comments? Send Primula a message through the forums.